John Newman: Right to Left @ Kinsman Robinson Galleries

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 14, 2011) -

September 17 - October 8, 2011

Reception: Saturday, September 17, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Artist present. All are welcome. Catalogue Available

After a sixteen month struggle to conquer Transverse Myelitus, a lung tumour and a stroke, artist John Newman has worked to get his arms and legs to function again. A renowned Canadian artist, with an exhibition record that spans the world, for him, his drawing arm was key.

Right to Left is an exhibition that documents the struggle artist John Newman went through to continue creating, having to switch from working with his right hand to his left.

Five years later, Kinsman Robinson Galleries will present his first show featuring works with the artist's left hand. With inspiration such as Norman Doidge's book, "The Brain that Changes itself", and encouragement from a friend who is a retired research scientist, Newman has been able to transfer an incredible amount of learned skills from his primary right hand to the left in a very short period of time.

Thirty-three works including twenty-two new pastels document the incredible struggle Newman went through in order to keep drawing.

About

JOHN NEWMAN

The sophistication of Newman's compositions and sustained figure drawing places him among the finest figurative painters of the twentieth century such as Balthus, Delvaux, and Pascin - a reward that is owed in part to Newman's lifelong devotion to drawing. This exceptional skill provides a unique foundation for his work in watercolours, pastels, oils and mixed media. While his palette has changed over the years, evolving into a more subtle use of colour, he has remained true to his vision.

Newman seeks to express his inner feelings rather than merely to convey a painterly impression of the external world. Throughout five decades, he has concentrated primarily on depicting the human form. The adolescent female has remained his central focus along with issues of fertility, the cycle of life and rites of passage.